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The "Give America a Raise" bus tour rolls into Bangor

NEWS CENTER, news source 10:01 a.m. EDT March 25, 2014

It was the first of many stops on a national campaign to raise the federal minimum wage. The 'Give America a Raise' bus rolled into Bangor Monday demanding the federal minimum wage be raised from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. Maine's minimum wage now stands at $7.50.(Photo: WCSH)

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- It was the first of many stops on a national campaign to raise the federal minimum wage.The 'Give America a Raise' bus rolled into Bangor Monday demanding the federal minimum wage be raised from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour.Maine's minimum wage now stands at $7.50.

Congressman Mike Michaud joined the campaign and said, "This is something that we have to do and hopefully my colleagues in Congress will move forward and increase it. It doesn't have to be a partisan issue."

The federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 since 2009. Prior to that the minimum wage stayed the same for a decade.

Miguel's Mexican Restaurant in Bangor already raised the minimum wage of their hourly employees to $10.10 an hour.

Manager Sean Garceau with Miguel's said, "All in all it helps the community, I think. It gets people out there spending more money. They have more money in their pockets to take their families to do other things."

According to Garceau, the restaurant has not had any negative effects since instituting the higher wage.

Not all small businesses, however, feel the same.

Maine's National Federation of Independent Businesses has taken a strong stance against any legislation that would raise the minimum wage.

Director David Clough with NFIR said, "In this economy the priority has been misplaced, we should be focusing on how to help businesses create jobs not how to make businesses pay more for jobs."

This was just the first stop of many for the national movement.

According to Congressman Mike Michaud, they are in the process of getting 218 members of Congress to sign a petition so that the Speaker of the House will need to bring the issue up for a vote.